KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TYLER – The Tyler Police Department will be getting some new officers Thursday afternoon. Police Chief Jimmy Toler will swear in the four new police recruits, and give them their badge, during the ceremony. The Recruits are:
*David Alexander
*Joshua Allen (Valedictorian & Top Gun)
*Josiah Baxter
*Caleb Westbrook

EAST TEXAS – (AP & STAFF) A former East Texan has been freed after being abducted 18 months ago in Yemen. President Donald Trump announced that Danny Burch, had been freed. It’s unclear who kidnapped him in September 2017. Birch, who was working in the oil field as a mechanic, was abducted in a busy street in the middle of the day. He grew up in White Oak and lived in Kilgore for years. Army Sgt. Maj. Cale Burch is one of Danny Burch’s three children from an earlier marriage. He told The Associated Press that his father is “safe, and that’s all that really matters to me.” Burch says he got a phone call Sunday from the FBI letting him know his father’s release had been brokered.

HOUSTON (AP) – A public defender who hails from East Texas has been chosen to fill the vacancy created when one of 17 black women recently elected as Houston-area judges in a “Black Girl Magic” campaign died. The Houston Chronicle reports Harris County commissioners on Tuesday appointed Genesis Draper to the bench to replace Criminal Court Judge Cassandra Hollemon. Hollemon was elected in November, then died Feb. 11, about a week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Draper, who’s also black, is a Longview native. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Spelman College and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Draper served as a public defender in Nashville, Tennessee, and in the federal court system in Houston before joining the Harris County public defender’s office in 2017.

TYLER — The Smith County Clerk’s Office was recognized during Commissioners Court on Tuesday for receiving the 5-Star Exemplary Award for its Vital Statistics Department. County Clerk Karen Phillips said since she took office in 2011, her office has “obtained the outstanding distinction of receiving the 5-Star Exemplary Award” from the State of Texas for eight consecutive years. Smith County was one of only 19 registrars out of more than 300 in the state to receive the award, she said, adding that she is proud of the work her staff does. The award to the Smith County Vital Statistics Department was received during the Vital Statistics Annual Conference in Austin.

LINDALE – A portion of County Road 484, north of Lindale, will be closed for several weeks while Smith County Road and Bridge crews repair a bridge. County Engineer Frank Davis said crews will be replacing a wooden deck on the bridge with a concrete deck, and work is expected to take four to six weeks, depending on the weather. County Road 484 runs just south of the Sabine River, from County Road 431, west to County Road 452.

AUSTIN – The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded Trinity Valley Community College in Athens a $279,139 Jobs and Education for Texans grant. The grant will help the school purchase and install equipment to provide students with training for careers in the healthcare profession. The program provides funding for equipment to eligible educational institutions for the purpose of developing career and technical education courses. This may include courses offering dual-credit and technical education programs. Workforce Commissioner Robert Thomas will present a check to representatives from Trinity Valley Community College during a ceremony Friday morning.

AUSTIN – The Texas Railroad Commissioners has awarded the Sabine Mining Company the commission’s 2019 Reclamation Award. The company was recognized for restoring more than 3,400 contiguous acres in Harrison County. The operator replanted native grasses. The mined land has become a native grass habitat for quail, grassland songbirds, Monarch butterflies, pollinating insects and grazing livestock. The restored acreage south of Hallsville is part of the South Hallsville No. 1 Mine. It is a lignite surface mine which has been in continuous operation since 1984. The mine and the adjacent Rusk Mine produce around 4 million tons of lignite annually.

JACKSONVILLE – UT Health – Jacksonville is seeking longest-living person born at that hospital. The hospital has special events planned to mark its 100th anniversary later this year. As part of the year long celebration, the health system would like to tell the stories of those who were part of the hospital’s history, including patients and caregivers. The longest-living person who was born at the hospital will be recognized at a community reception later this year and will be given a gift from UT Health East Texas. if you think you are the longest-living person born at the Jacksonville hospital, contact Becky Shields at rsshields@uthet.com or by calling 903-594-2431.

AUSTIN – Two legislators, one from Tyler, have filed a late-term abortion bill in the state legislature. It was filed by representative Matt Schaefer of Tyler and Senator Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills. Schaefer says the Preborn NonDiscrimination Act prohibits the remaining late-term abortions in Texas, in contrast with recent actions taken by New York and Virginia. The legislation also bans discriminatory abortions, like anti-woman sex-selective abortions. Several other legislators, including Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola, have already signed on to the bill as joint authors. Continue reading Anti Late-Term Abortion Bill Filed in Austin

TYLER — A Tyler murder trial has been postponed until May. According to our news partner KETK, Christopher Hardy, 24, Tyler, is accused of killing Darryl Washington during a 2017 shooting at Chelsea Creek Apartments in Tyler. Two other men were also injured during that shooting. Investigators determined the incident was drug related.

LONGVIEW – A Longview arson suspect has been arrested. The Longview Fire Department says the police served an arrest warrant on John Brian Kelly, 48, of Longview. He was arrested last Friday and was freed on a $50,000 bond the same day. According to the fire department’s Facebook page, and investigation indicated Kelly was responsible for a fire on Stonewall Drive. It occurred in August, 2016.

TYLER – The Smith County Sheriff’s Department reports a jury scam is back in the county. It works like this, someone calls posing as a law enforcement official. They demand immediate payment for nonexistent fines or warrants for missed jury service. One of the recent scammers requested the victim go to a local pharmacy and purchase a MoneyPak for the payment and stayed on the line with them until this done. Smith County Jury Coordinator Lisa Bennett says no officer or court clerk will ever make such calls demanding immediate payment for missed jury service. Never provide anyone with debit or credit card numbers or personal information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates or driver’s license numbers. If you receive one of these scam calls, just hang up.

TYLER – A Tyler robbery suspect has agreed to a prison term. The trial of Lance Cody Scott, 22, of Tyler had been scheduled to begin on Monday. But Scott pleaded guilty and agreed to a 30 year prison term. In 2017, he held up the AZ Food Mart on Highway 69 North. Two days later he held up the AB Country Store on Farm Road 14. In both cases, a white male entered the business, armed with a handgun, and demanded money. Scott later turned himself in at the Smith County Jail. When Scott surrendered, detectives had already obtained two arrest warrants charging him with two counts of aggravated robbery.

SMITH COUNTY – Work is starting on the Toll 49 bridge over Interstate Highway 20. Drivers who use Interstate Highway 20, at Toll Road 49, need to watch out for shoulder closures now through the last week in March. The work is being done on the Toll 49 bridge due to a realignment issue caused by a July accident. The location of activities will be on the shoulders from 7:00am till 7:00pm. there will night closures of one lane of the interstate in several weeks. More information will be released when the plans are finalized. Drivers are encourage to watch for message boards as they drive through the area.

BEN WHEELER – The Department of Public Safety continues its investigation into a fatal Van Zandt County accident. The victims, two 15 year old boys, were tossed from the vehicle that overturned Saturday night near Ben Wheeler. They were passengers in a SUV that went off the road and then back on the road. The driver overcorrected and ended up in a ditch where the vehicle rolled over. The driver, Martha Vela, 17, of Ben Wheeler, and a 16 year old girl, were taken to a Tyler hospital for treatment.

ALTO – Cherokee County authorities are continuing their investigation of an attack on an elderly couple Saturday night. The attack occurred on Farm Road 1911, just outside of Alto. The woman had gone outside to see what triggered an alarm on her property. The man she saw hit her in the head with something. When she screamed, her husband came outside and he was attacked. The suspect fled after the woman went inside and came out with a gun, shooting at the suspect. Authorities searched for the suspect, but could not find him. The The couple was taken to a hospital for treatment. Out news partner, KETK, reports the woman had a significant head injury and her husband is likely to lose his eye sight in one eye.

LONGVIEW – Industrial Drive is closed to through traffic between Marshall Avenue, U.S. Highway 80, and Cotton Street. This is to allow for railroad track maintenance. The railroad crossing on Industrial Drive will be closed to all traffic. Drivers are encouraged to use Eastman Road as an alternate route.

VAN — Van ISD announced on its Facebook page that the district is mourning a student who died following a car crash. According to the post, Fernando Vela, an 8th-grade student at Van Junior High School, died from injuries sustained in a single-car crash Saturday night. “Fernando had a lot of friends and students looked up to him,” said Van Junior High Principal Richard Pride. “He was a leader among his peers. He was energetic, athletic, respectful, and had a great love for his family. This is a sad day for the Van Junior High School family. Fernando will be greatly missed.” Continue reading Van ISD Mourns Student Killed in Weekend Crash

TYLER — Heart of Tyler has honored the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and the late Travis Booher with its yearly Brick Awards, given out at its recent annual meeting. According to Heart of Tyler president Carleen Dark, “ETSO has done so much over so many years to champion the arts and music education, as well as their commitment to downtown.” Dark describes ETSO as “a long-time community partner of Heart of Tyler that is so closely aligned with the values that drive the Heart of Tyler organization.” Dark continues, “Booher was a long-time member and supporter of Heart of Tyler” who “gave much of his time, legal expertise and personal funds over the years.” Heart of Tyler is a nonprofit that partners with various entities to revitalize downtown Tyler. The Brick Awards are given to people and organizations that are credited with noteworthy contributions to the effort.

SMITH COUNTY — According to our news partner KETK, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a body found in a wooded area off Highway 69 and I-20. The unidentified body was located around 2:20 Saturday afternoon by some kids playing in the woods. The body was sent to Dallas for autopsy. Additional details were not available.

JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville police continue their investigation of a shooting that left one person dead. It happened shortly before 1:45 Wednesday afternoon on Kickapoo Street. Killed was Justin Lee Christian, 26. He was first taken to a Jacksonville hospital and later transferred to a Tyler hospital where he died. Investigators say he had been shot once in the head. They do have persons of interest in the case, but charges have not been filed and no arrests have been made.

The UT Health North Campus Tyler MD Anderson Cancer Center has a new director today. Dr. Alexandria Phan has been appointed as medical director of the center. Dr. Phan is board-certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology. She has served as principal investigator in numerous clinical trials, many of which were pivotal in receiving FDA approval for new medications. Prior to coming to Tyler, Dr. Phan led GI medical services for five regional locations of Cancer Treatment Centers of America. She has directed GI cancer services and the hematology oncology fellowship at Houston Methodist hospital, and served as an associate professor of GI medical oncology at MD Anderson.

TYLER – Carter BloodCare has a new director of its East Texas operations. Effective immediately, Clinton McCoy assumes the post. He succeeds Carla Beck, who retired in the fourth quarter of last year. McCoy will work out of the Tyler headquarters on South Baxter Avenue. Among his duties will be increasing retention of new blood donors and the frequency of donations among volunteer blood donors. He comes to East Texas from Waco where he was a drive recruiter with Carter BloodCare in the Central Texas area.

TYLER – Arrests were made in Smith County Thursday night following a gambling investigation. The arrests came as a variety of law enforcement agencies served warrants at several locations. They were served at the Lucky Tunes game room on Highway 64 East, a residence on plantation Drive in Tyler and at at a residence on Highway 64 East. The arrests stemmed from an investigation that spanned 5 months. Six persons were arrested at Lucky Tunes for promotion of gambling. One person was arrested for gambling, four were arrested for outstanding warrants and 56 citations were issued for the Class C misdemeanor offense of gambling. Approximately 90 gambling machines were seized. Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said “This investigation is by no means complete.” Additional search warrants and subpoenas are anticipated as this investigation continues.

ATHENS — More details are released after the body of a missing Henderson County woman was found Wednesday night inside her boyfriend’s house in Larue. According to our news partner KETK, that man, Charlie Cervantes, is in jail on $2 million bond, facing murder charges in her death. Tabatha Cashion’s mother reported her missing after she didn’t pick up her children on February 9 police then tried to contact Cashion at the mobile home she was moving into with Cervantes. He told them she left with an unidentified person after an argument. Detectives were able to obtain a search warrant after the father of Cashion’s children saw a post on Facebook in which CErvantes claimed he was hearing voices that were telling him to cut up “Tabatha and the kids.” Continue reading More Details in Larue Murder Case

HARRISON COUNTY – A good Samaritan was injured in Harrison County when he stopped to aid a woman who appeared to be having car trouble. It happened before 6:00 Thursday night on Sandy Drive in Longview. As he was looking under the hood of her car, he said two men came out of the woods and attacked him. He was hit in the back of the head and shot in the foot. He went to Longview Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. The investigation into the incident is continuing.

PALESTINE – Palestine police have arrested a robbery suspect who reportedly tried to set fire to two women. Arrested around 5:00 Thursday afternoon was Robert Thompson, 40. He is said to be the armed robber who held up the Pit Stop on Link Street around 10:00 Thursday morning. The robber left with an undisclosed amount of money. Before leaving, the thief had the clerk and a customer sit on the floor and then bound the two women with duct tape. He then doused both women with lighter fluid and set the customer on fire. She was transported to Palestine Regional Medical Center and was then transferred to the burn center at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Thompson has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery. His bonds total $4 million.